>> good evening. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. peacemaker, freedom fighter, hero for change and hope. the world celebrates the life of nelson mandela. >> he no longer belongs to u he belongs to the ages. >> nelson mandela said it, "it always seems impossible until it's done", for this towering revolutionary who spent decades in prison for believing in freedom and equality nothing is impossible. the world is a better place because of him. the former south african president died at his home. he was 95.

outside crowds gathered all evening and in the morning and have been gathered four hours to mourn his passing, but to rejoice in a remarkable life. scenes are incredible, people dancing and singing. they are paying tribute to him. they are doing the same in new york. a famed venue in harlem, and the marr key honours nelson mandela. morgan radford is here in the studio. >> talk about the life of nelson mandela, and what he means to so many people. >> nelson mandela is a symbol of hope, freedom, a time in this world, and in our country and theirs when equality did not s did not reign free and is a symbol for young americans growing up understanding him in history books and i had the pleasure of meeting him when i lived in south africa. i understood why he captured the hearts of a generation and

world. >> there's the picture. tell us about that picture and what happened. >> there it is, there i am with reverend jessie jackson. he's taking the phone so the reverend can put his wife on the phone to give a hello. the morning i met former president nelson mandela. he spoke to me in an incredible voice that is unique and said, "morgan, are you here to visit me." he was reading four papers, one in africans, english, zulu. his mind was sharp. he was brilliant, vibrant, all the things you would expect. >> when you lived in south africa, what was it like when you were there? >> when i was there it was surprisingly still very racially tense. this is something that is not foreign to me, because i am a southerner, and i come from

greens bro north carolina which has racial tension, like a bad hang over from the 1960s that put us on the map. when i lived in south africa, it was not foreign to me, but it was different. this is what i hear. my parents, african mernts, grew up in segregated schools experienced. i was fresh out of college. here i was, a grad with my backpack travelling the world. they have this understanding of a hierarchy and a system and sense of self worth and worthiness, and what means as a country, as south africa, and for them internationally. >> obviously african-americans are touched and it's a personnel story for them. he had an impact worldwide. why do you think? >> because of who he was and where he was and how he lived his life. the concept of mercy is something every one of us

understands. mercy of those who are least deserving. where humanity and difficultinity come together, where you flex your muscle in terms of being a human, and the lengths you'll go to to forgive someone and move on and see what you can do when you put our minds together. that's what he showed the world and a generation. >> al jazeera's correspondent has more on his life. >> he was a prisoner and president. he was the face of change in tush u lant south africa. his smile and strength and powerful weapons in a race for equality equality. >> many asked not to talk peace, against a government.

on defenseless people. >> the black man that would lead south africa away from decades of separation and minority white rule was born in 1918. nelson mandela grew up in a rural roadless area. born to tribal loyalty, he was adopted and raised by a chief tain after his father's death. he was the first to attend school where a missionary teacher gave him the first name nelson. his activism began in college. he was elected to the student council, but stepped down and joined a boycott over conditions at the school. he moved to johannesburg, studied law and joined the african national congress, a political and religious movement fighting segregation. it grew sharper when south africa elected a white

government passing laws taking racism to the extreme. the resettlement of 3 million, deprives the right to vote and travel. stripping them of citizenship. nelson mandela was 30. he was convinced peaceful demonstrations would never be enough. he helped to form and one an amped guerilla movement. a campaign of bombings and sabotage in the '60s led to his arrest and prosecution along with others in the movement. convicted but spared a death sentence, nelson mandela would spend a quarter of a century, 27 years behind prison walls, 18 of them at the notorious robin island. outside the fight grew more fears. aggression and violence focussed the attention of the world on racism.

nelson mandela became the most famous prisoner in the world. the powerful international condemnation and growing domestic unrest chipped away at apart hide until nelson mandela was released from prison. the streets flowed with joy. the man, who was a powerful symbol of resistance, walked free, vowing never to go back to the black hell of apartheid. >> i have spoken about freedom in my lifetime. your struggle, your commitment and your discipline. it has released me to stand before you today. >> freedom was not easy.

nelson mandela negotiated with the president to reform the government. trying to temper violence between his party and the anc and supporters of the inkata freedom party, who wanted no negotiations with the government that held them down. thousands were killed in black on black fighting. his marriage to winnie mandella, a powerful political force was crumbling. the woman who supported him during incarceration was accused of having affairs and being linked to the murderous violence in south africa. they finally divorced. through it all they led the country to broader democracy and in 1994 nelson mandela voted for himself in a free election. he won and was inaugust rated as the first black president of his

country. >> on this day, you took your destiny in your own hands. you decided that nothing could prevent you from exercising your hard-won right to elect a government of your choice. >> he served one term, leading reforms in child health care and education. modernizing infrastructure. and healing. >> his close relationship with leaders like muammar gaddafi and castro drew criticism, he still visited the white houses meeting with three sitting american properties. in 2002 george w. bush presented him with the presidential medal of freedom. barack obama met nelson mandela in 2005, when barack obama was a senator. after one term as president nelson mandela stepped down. he did not slow his pace. his charitable foundation raised

money for a number of causes. >> when south africa hosted the world cup tournament in 2010, he made his last public appearance. the crowd honoured him to thunderous ovation. >> his third wife, graca machel, former first lady of mozambique, was at his side during prostate cancer and lingering lung infections. >> never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another. and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world. the sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.

let freedom rain. god bless africa. >> nelson mandela, an enduring father of the new south africa dead at 95. >> nelson mandela's life work extended behind the native south africa. we sat with civil rights leader the reverend jessie jackson, and he drew parallels with his movement and the struggle in the u.s. >> there was a sameness about the struggle there and here. both faced persecution in 1953. king was gaoled and bricked and stabbed at 39. nelson mandela was gaoled and put on the terrorist list by the

u.s. government and emerged as a moral authority, both have that moral character. barack obama on the other hand - he was the ben factor of the struggles. he's a generation behind. >> nelson mandela and the king were transformative figures. >> we saw a picture of you and nelson mandela with one of my colleagues, morgan radford, who got the chance to meet nelson mandela for the first time. tell me about the man you knew. >> i must say when i was in cape down south africa, he was released. immediately he recognised me and called my name. i was overwhelmed.

he knew it was going on. he was current, alive and alert. he didn't just read the speech that day, he wrote it. he also was a great debater. his mind was as sharp at 70 as at 40. he never lost the sharpness of his mind. every time we have private conversations, you always were overwhelmed by the depth and breath of his concern and interest. he didn't alter his politics because of his popularity. he reached out to cuba and cast castro. "why are you embargoing people that are no longer a threat?", when you see him reach to castro, thinking they were not friendly. nelson mandela said "i am, they reached to me when i was in gaol before you did." my friends need

not necessarily be your friends. he was wanting to create a one big world tent of freedom and justice. we could learn something from that. >> your friend martin luther king jr. had an impact on the world as well. what was the connection between these two leaders. >> both of them are fighting apartheid systems. out of king was the "65 act. redefining the laws. 18-year-olds couldn't vote. you couldn't go on college campuses or go bilingually. the coalition led to the sanctions against south africa, set to free nelson mandela, and

free south africa. they are aware of our kinship. >> reverend jessie jackson. president obama paid tribute to the life of nelson mandela. he ordered flags to be flown at half staff at the white house and federal facilities. let's go to mike viqueira. the president had a lot to say about nelson mandela, right. >> he did. it's no secret to anyone that follows the career that this man was an inspiration to him throughout his life and as a matter of fact inspired him to get into politics. president obama told the story how as a young student he was never interested in politics until he got to college and ended up at public rallies, antiapartheid rallies on campus. worked on divest itture.

president obama spoke with president jacob zuma, expressed condolences, offered a lot of prays he had offered publicly for nelson mandela. let's listen to what the president had to say. >> at his trial in 1964, nelson mandela closed a statement from the dock, saying i have fought against white dom nation. and i have fought against black dom nation. i have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and equal opportunities. it is an ideal which i hope to live nor and achieve. but if needs be, it is an ideal for which i am prepared to die.

nelson mandela lived for that ideal and made it real. he achieved more than could be expected of any man. today he's gone home. we have lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human being that any of us will share time with on this earth. he no longer belongs to us. he belongs to the ages. >> john, of all the things that president obama was influence the by when it comes to nelson mandela. there was the mag nam mouse gesture that nelson mandela made when he was released from prison, from robin island. and when he triumphed and came to leave the country, eembraced his captors. there was no retribution, and president obama said he was in law school, and to see him embrace his former captives, it gave him a sense of what is

possible. tonight he went back to that theme, to reconcile with those who gaoled him was a personal inspiration to him. we expect president obama to travel to south africa for the furniture. >> we'll hear more about this in the coming days. >> we have a special guest. joining us is the former deputy president of the south africa and serves as the u.n. undersecrety general and executive director of u.n. women. it is good to see you. >> good to see you. >> can you tell me what ofs it like to work in south africa, in the government. >> specifically under nelson mandela, it was - at a time when we had just gotten into government so everything was new for all of us. we were optimistic, highly motivated, and to work for someone like him, who worked around the clock, you felt that

you had to be up and about doing your work, because that's what the boss is doing, and he was much older than you. you had no excuse to be tilered. >> you had so much hope, yet the changes that he faced and you faced as a government were enormous. reconciliation grew out of that. how did it happen. >> when he came out of prison. when he took the step to become the president of the country. he was single-minded about making south africa work for everybody. and to the extent that he made it to reconcile with those that were used to oppress us, he was convinced that it was not too difficult and too much to demand of himself to be forgiving. that's what he did. unfortunately, the people of south africa responded and were

able to have what was a peaceful transition which could have been complicated. >> many of us that saw him on television and watched portrayalals of him in the movie feel like we know the man, but we don't. can you tell us what it was like to work with him from day to day. >> in some ways he is the kind of person that had enormous stature and presence. of course, he comes from a - from royalty. you feel that, but at the same time he can make you feel very easy. madiba was the kind of person that made you feel like you were the only person in the room when he was talking to you. there was a want that you always exuded. also, he could hold an argument, he could challenge, he could engage and he could be very funny. i mean, he could tell a joke and

laugh at it. >> how could he bring whites and blacks together in the government? >> he was always committed to a nonracial democratic and nonsuccessful south africa. that's the way it would be. >> it was brand new. >> it was brand new. that was the dream, his vision. in fact, in one of his statements he said that is dream he would be prepared to die for if need be. >> how do you think he wants to be remembered? >> as he states himself he would like to be remembered as one of the people who tried to make the world a better place. he did not like people to fuss over him. he did not like the idea that people would want to say he's a saint, even though he was to some of us. but to say that, you know what, i'm an ordinary person trying to do my best.

>> i assume in south africa for the next week or so, or many years they'll make a big fuss over him for a long time. >> we will always make a big fusz. >> good to meet you, a pleasure to meet you. thank you for taking the time to talk. >> in 1990, nelson mandela visited new york city. thousands gathered in harlem to hear him speak. jonathan martin is there to tell us about that and what the scene is like tonight. >> a lot of people remember it like it was yesterday, they remember the day in 1990 when the new york city mayor invited nelson mandela to the city. one of the first places he stopped was in harlem. there was a lot of anticipation, excitement, thousands of people came. earlier tonight the apollo theatre had a mark key lit up. the lights went out. it said, "in memory of nelson mandela we remember and love

you." a lot of people remember when he came in 1990 it was a big part of the visit. it said welcome home mr and mrs nelson mandela. one of the people who remembered that was the historian, mr billy mitchell. we talked about what that day was like in his memory. >> he was fully aware that all the people from civil rights fighters and to have his preps here, it meant a lot to all of us coming up out of problems. we were going through housing, education, things that of nature. his presence made us feel good, that there is hope. if this man could spend it that much time in prison and never gave in, so, of course, that would be reflected in the community that he was visiting. we were so positive by him being here, that there's nothing we can't do. >> tonight we have seen a lot of

people stopping buy to share stories along each other. a few gathering under the apollo marquee. people have brought pictures by. a lot of pictures sharing memories of that day. so many people came by to see him. >> thank you very much. we are doing to take a break, but we'll look at nelson mandela's fight against apartheid coming up. conversation . >> i have fought against white dom niation. and i have fought against black dom nation. i have carried the idea for a

democratic and free society in which all facets live together in armony. and with equal opportunity. it is what i hope to live for and achieve. but maybe it is an i deal for which i am prepared to die.

>> back at al jazeera america, looking at the crowd outside nelson mandela's house where they have been keeping vig ill since his death was announce the. nelson mandela was in the hospital for most of the summer fighting pneumonia and lung problems. he made history when he became the first democratically elected president of south africa after spending 27 years in prison. al jazeera's correspondent is in johannesburg to tell us what is taking place in johannesburg

today. >> we saw many singing and dancing. a few of us were taken aback a few minutes ago. a young girl came with her father. she looked about 10 years old. she left flowers behind the wall. this is the township of sow wetto. she burst into tears. we got a sense of while everyone is celebrating his life, i think the shock of his death has hit a lot of people in south africa. it's becoming early morning, and the sun will be out soon. more people will leave their house, go to work. people will get a sense of impact that it's having on the country. the next few hours will be interesting. generally the incentive of the people is yes, he is gone. we'll love and miss him.

they'll try to celebrate all he has done. >> you talked eloquently earlier. i'd like to get your comments again about how protective the people of south africa are about the legacy of nelson mandela, and as he got more sick, how they were concerned that journalists not intrude. can you talk about that a little bit. >> yes, it was a difficult time for south africans. they realise he is nelson mandela and he belongs to the world. they want to protect him. they don't want anything negative said or written about him. the months he was sick and in hospital. the world media were in pretoria, and south africans from disturbed. they'd call us vultures saying, "what are you doing? leave him

alone. let him rest in piece." this were angry about the media reporting on his condition. they want to see and remember him as the one who walked out of prison in 1990 with former wife winnie. they want to see the strong man of the the last image was him on a hospital bed hooked up to tubes. people were very angry. things changed since then. there was a gradual acceptance from people that he's 95 years old and his time will be up soon. when it happened, yes, there was shock, but i think again it gave south africans time to accept the fact that he will lead them one day. president jacob zuma announced that when he passed away, he was at his home, with people he loved, family. he went peacefully. that eased a lot of people in

south africa. like i said. he is their father. they love him. nothing anyone can say or do will take it away from him. there was a bit of that unhappiness with the media, for the way they were putting the spotlight on the nelson mandela family. >> unfortunately we are having difficulty, technical problems with the live picture. we appreciate the reporting from sue wetto. we hope to get back to her later. >> i spoke with congressman charlie ranbl. he talked about meeting the civil rights leader. >> i had no idea that the president would have known me. i was with a congressional delegation, and this was before the election, and won brown, the secretary of commerce. i was so awed, speechless. and when he called this the

bloody wrangle amendment cutting off assistance to the united states, for doing business with south africa, thanks to me and america, i never thought i would meet a guy like that. there's something i would like to say that i don't think others will be aware of. that is he has given a gift to african-americans that it cannot think of anyone else giving. most people have histories that they can talk about from countries all over the world. those of african descent. they have names taken away, culture, songs, languages. taking it away they substituted with fame and sense of superior yority. when afghan americans and people of afghan descent saw this man

and said, "mummy, he looks like me." there's no gift that god can give that was more precious than that one. >> robert ray is at the martin luther king grave site where nelson mandela laid a wreath during a visit to that city. what can you tell us. >> yes, john, it's an honour to be at the king center in downtown atlanta. over my shoulder is the crypt where martin luther king is buried next to core eta scott king, his wife. >> the first stop on nelson mandela's world win tour when he landed in georgia was here at the king center, going to the crypt where martin luther king was buried. he and his wife went across the

pond to the burial site and placed a wreath at the base. briefly after that he met with martin luther king's wife for about half an hour. he was escorted into a limousine and carted around the city where he became an honorary man at morehouse men's college and ended the day at georgia tech football stadium where 50,000 plus people waited for him to come in, he was an hour late. he couldn't speak for 15 minutes. during that speech he made references to king and talked about how he wanted freedom for everyone, south africans. basically the reason for him

coming here he wanted to pay whommage to king, and where it began as far as rites in the united states. the two powerhouses, one lying in the tune and the crypt. the other nelson mandela, months out of captivity, giving hits honour and whommage in la. >> in the day's ahead the world will remember nelson mandela for his courage and leadership. the process leading up to a burial is extensive, complicated. john terrett explains what will happen during the next couple of days, several days as the world says goodbye to nelson mandela. >> the south african government put in place a 10-day timeline between nelson mandela's death and burial. day one was thursday and the announcement by jacob zuma. on to friday, day two, books of

condolence will be placed so people can pay their reports and record memories of the man they knew as madiba. on saturday, day three, formal invitations will be issued to world leaders. most will want to attend if they can't. sunday, day four, and the media begins a long process for those wishing to cover nelson mandela's final days. nelson mandela's coffin will be moved so the sowetta distribute. the stadium has a capacity for 95,000. on tuesday, nelson mandela's body will be moved to the union building. this is the seat of the south african government and the rehearsals will begin at the state mem yore jal.

on wednesday and just, day seven and eight. the state memorial service will take place as the country says its final goodbyes. on friday, day nine, there's spected to be a symbolic inspection. it will be flown to the family compound in the eastern cape. after all of that, on saturday, day 10, nelson mandela's burial will take place. we are told it will be a private family affair. but, as you can imagine, because nelson mandela belonged to the world, there are rumours that dig gnat ris would be present. chief among them, former president bill clinton. >> nelson mandela's prays for castro and others outraged some.

african-americans led a boycott called the quiet riot. >> at the time many people in the african american community were so disgusted they said they were ashamed of their city. a total of six leaders rebuffed nelson mandela during the freedom tour in the united states in 1990. we would have loved to have spoken to the leaders 20 years later. they didn't speak to us. we spoke to a prominent african american leader and the man who put an end to the nonsense in his city. he told me that that year, the city of miami gave the keys of the city to robo cop, but refused to gave the keys to the city to a man who become one of

the most transformant figures in history. >> when i became mayor the whole thing seemed - that they removed to issue a proclamation which they gave to the corner bartender if he opened a new store. >> but six mayors and the governor denounced him after he thanked castro, yasser arafat, and libyan president muammar gaddafi. during the dark days of apartheid. those governments enabled assistance, specifically muammar gaddafi's. nelson mandela said, "your enemy

is not necessarily mien my." >> the communities were outraged, pressuring leaders to snub nelson mandela. it was one of the best days and one of the worst. the great nelson mandela came to miami and we had an opportunity to hear and see this great man personally. unfortunately his presence here caused political leaders to snub him. >> that outraged and energised members of the community. hg smith organised a tourist boycott from fort lauder dale to'. >> the fight for freedom that nelson mandela led did not deserve for him to be treated that way. >> the quiet riot lasted almost three years. >> the boycott was harming my city tremendously each year.

we lost tourist trade because the black community was sfurious. >> former mayor, seymour gilmore wanted to end the costly chapter in his city adds history. he issued a proclamation for nelson mandela day. >> there was a fire storm. some of my best friends stopped me in the street. how could you do that. there was phone calls. my wife received one saying, "let him burn in an oven", talking about me. i was aware of political implications. i didn't give a damn. >> it would be another year before the boycott ended. smith said it was a success, becoming leverage to promote greater opportunities for african-americans, and let to the construction of the first afghan-american controlled

hotel. years later smith would visit nelson mandela after he'd been elected the south african president. >> what i learnt, nobody hands you a dream. especially the bigger the dream, the less likely that someone will hand it to you, and the bigger the dream, the bigger the sacrifice. >> how did nelson mandela view his treatment. smith said nelson mandela forgive his detractors and hoped that they, too, had learnt to respect his position, even if they couldn't agree with it. >> nelson mandela said although it took three years, he was happy that the community came together and he hoped the community understood and came to appreciate why he was steadfast and loyal to his allies at a

time when very few leaders were supporting their fight for freedom. >> many around the world are sharing their thoughts for nelson mandela. randall pinkston spoke to some and joins us with their reaction. >> new york city was a special place for nelson mandela. in brooklyn and throughout the city people are remembering his legacy. >> in brooklyn new york, there's a restaurant name in honour of nelson mandela. it's called madiba. the name of his cip. the restaurant owner said he wanted to pay tribute to a great man. >> a hero for thousands of new yorkers who enthusiastically embraced the south african freedom fighter when he arrived in the city in 1990. he had only been out of the city for four months. nelson mandela met the governors

of new york and new jersey and the police in the city. a crowd of 750,000 greeted him. an elementary school teacher said nelson mandela was the perfect leader. >> devotion. complete self-sacrifice. he embodies that and will continue. >> as a white south african what did nelson mandela mean to you and your family? >> freedom. he showed that differences in skin doesn't mean anything. we all bleed red. >> this woman was not born when nelson mandela came to power. for your generation, what does he mean? >> well for our generation, it's a little bit like history,

because then he opened up the doors for us not to seriousness so much what they experienced. >> new york special residents. demonstrations were hold outside the consulate hoping to produce economic sanctions that led to nelson mandela's release from prison. >> now, earlier i spoke with a professor of anthropology focussing on south african history at columbia university and grew up in south africa living under apartheid. i asked what she remembered. >> nelson mandela was an eniing ma. i was born in 1976, the year of the soviet student upridesing. growing up in south africa meant you couldn't talk about nelson mandela. you didn't know what he looked like because his images couldn't be published.

>> you couldn't have a picture in your own home and couldn't quote his words, so people couldn't tell you what he said. you knew the name and he was in prin. >> what did your parents tell you about hum. >> you heard different things depending who you were or where you were raised. growing up in the township you would here what younger people would say. then edhear what the people at home would say. sometimes there was two conflicting stories. >> what was life like for you? >> i was a foetus in 1976. i can't tell you. >> in the '70s, when you were growing up, what was life like. >> growing up in the toupship, you don't have a sense of what the outside world is like. at the time you know, as black people we couldn't go to white areas. my memory of growing up was

there was a lot of kaz pers, the military trucks that brought in the young white soldiers, so we grew up around that and a lot of tear gas because the police would often have these run ins with young people. >> there must have been a time when you realised the world was looking at south africa saying, "what is going on there is wrong?" what did that mine to you and your friends? >> it meant we had to make choices. we'd feel anger about the system but we didn't really know what it meant. we tried to find way to challenge that anger. some of us joined the apartheid struggle >> can't you explain the anger? >> i'll give you an example. when i was a small child my

uncle would drive around johannesburg. we drove past a park and i said, "i'd like to go and play in the maj." my uncle said, "the park is closed." we could see it was open. years later my uncle said, "the reason you couldn't go into that park is you were black and it was a white park." imagine being a child growing up knowing that there's certain things you can't do, go to the parks, swim in a swimming pool or use a playground in a shopping mall because it was for white children. growing up in a society when no is on nearly every door you want to go through. >> what was it like when nelson mandela was released? >> i was in boarding school. we watched it on tv.

i was in the second year of boarding school. for me the event was the speech that was given in parliament. it was one of those moments you think someone can do that, stand-up in public and say, "i'm banning the a number of c and releasing nelson mandela", if felt like a strengthened to something moment us and big that threatened to overwhelm the country. what i remember is fw dekirk speech. >> we will continue the coverage of nelson mandela after this.

>> back now looking at the crowd outside nelson mandela's home in johannesburg, as we continue our coverage of the wife of nelson mandela. maxine waters was one of the people that spread nelson mandela's message in the united states. during the 1980s she staged sit-ins at the south african consulate to protest against apartheid. years later she was in south africa to see him sworn in as president. good to see you. thank you for seeing us. >> i'm dlit.

it's a sad moment. we must honour the life and the work of nelson mandela always. >> you were an influential leader during the antiapartheid movement. how are you inspired by nelson mandela's work in south africa? >> well, you know, i thought about this. it takes me back to a time when i saw a movie called cry the beloved country. i think that's where my interest was piqued. as the story came out about nelson mandela, and the a&c organised to fight against apartheid, i got interested and involved. i started to read and keep up with everything and share it with my colleagues. when i was in the californian

state of assembly, to divest all pension funds from businesses doing business in south africa at the time. >> when you met mr nelson mandela after he was released, what was that like. >> when i met nelson mandela, he was coming off the plane. the plane had landed here in los angeles, and i stood at the bottom of the steps with the then mayor of the city, mayor tom grantly and i was in awe of this man who had served 27 years in prison, and who had fought against apartheid, and had to free a nation and, of course, he descended from the plane and we greeted each other. the event took place in los

angeles from the city hall to the huge event that we organised for him at the los angeles colosseum that was full of - every seat was filled and a wonderful celebration took place. of course when he and winnie mandella walked out on the stage, the people exploded with joy. he had a great welcome here in los angeles. i'll never forget the moments. >> we've been looking at the pictures. they are remark i believe. the crowd as remarkable. how do you think nelson mandela's legacy affected your career in politics? >> i was taught a lot of hissons through that experience. i was taught patience. you could not get legislation passed in a short period of time.

i had to work hard to educate the other members about this issue. they were not focused on it. they were focused on domestic issues. to cut through all of that, to clip daily, and my staff sending out articles to all the members, joining with the anc, welcoming those members into the country, and los angeles, to raise money and further support the cause of releasing him from prison, i learned patience, i learned to respect people who had suffered so much, who had - the belief that some day they would be free. it taught me courage, and it taught me what it meant to experience a man who had gone through as much as he had experienced and to be in prison for 17 years, and to come

occupant without hatred or m malmalice and want to pull that country together. i learnt a lot. >> congresswoman waters we learnt a lot from you. thank you for joining us. >> former presidents are paying tribute to nelson mandela. president george w. bush was in office and he said: >> farmer george w. bush, and laura bush released a statement saying:

>> former president bill clinton sa said: >> president clinton posted a photo of himself with nelson mandela. clinton tweeted this picture with a message saying: >> nelson mandela now belongs to the ages, president obama said. nelson mandela died at his home at the age of 95. today the world remembers and celebrates his life. stay with al jazeera america for complete coverage of his passing. i'm john siegenthaler. we leave you with the words of nelson mandela from his

inaugural address. [ singing ] >> never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another. and suffer the indignity of being the scum of the world. the sun shall never set on so glourious a human achievement. let the sun rain. god bless africa. thank you. (clapping)

> hello, you are watching al jazeera's special coverage of the death of nelson mandela. people all over the world mourning the death of the man they called madiba. these are the feeds coming live from johannesburg, outside the home of the south african antiapartheid hero. this is where he decide last night surrounded by his